Follower-board.



H. K. BROOKS.

POLLOWER BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED 00?. 12, 1911.

1 ,O30,277, Patented June 25, 1912.

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L'DLUMBIA PLANDURAPH CO.,WASHINUTON, n. c.

H. K. BROOKS.

FOLLOWER BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED 001212, 1911.

Am v a m Z 3 5 5 5 2 am 7 i 7 ..HP 3 0 Q 0, 0% Z; m 1 w 3% COLUMBIA PLANuGR/nm co., WASHINGTON, 1) c HENRY K. BROOKS, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

FOLLOWER-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1912.

Application filed October 12, 1911. Serial No. 654,392.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY K. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Topeka, in the county of Shawnee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Follower-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in follower boards designed more especially for use in connection with metal furniture construction. 1

It has for its objects among others to provide a simple and cheap, yet durable and eflicient construction of adjustable follower board or compressor which. cannot be left unlocked and thus the papers and index cards which it is intended to hold are pre vented from falling into a substantially flat position in the drawer. Furthermore, my improved construction has an inherent tendency to creep up and compress the papers at all times, especially when the drawer is pushed into place roughly instead of slipping back and letting the papers down flat. In addition to this, due to the principle involved in the construction, it never becomes necessary to use any considerable amount of force to loosen up the compressor, even if the papers, which are being held under compression, are very tightly compressed. Besides, the tighter the papers are held, the

tighter the lock sets, or, in other words, the

more force that is employed, the harder it grips, yet it is always responsive to the slightest touch on the release bar.

My present construction permits of applying the device on drawers with solid sides, which I readily accomplish by bifurcating the dog or clutch which allows the side of the drawer to pass through it and enables me to use practically a solid tube on which the dog slides and grips. I dispense with riveting the dogs to the transverse bar, thus permitting the dog to have a free action at any angle which may be required to complete the gripping action on the tube.

I aim further at improvements in the details of construction whereby cheapness of manufacture is assured, together with ready assemblage of the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the for the accompanying drawings, which, with the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross section as on the line 11 of Fig. 2.- Fig. 2 is a top plan with a portion broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 38 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 14 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail showing the dog or clutch and the tube, the parts being separated but in their relative positions. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 6. Figs. 6 and 7 represent a slightly modified form.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the different views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a sheet metal file case which of itself is of ordinary construction except as hereinafter disclosed.

2 aretubes placed one upon each side of the drawer or case, as seen clearly in Fig. 1. In applying these tubes, they are by preference slipped on the side of the drawer from the end and readily held in position by crimping the edge of the sheet from which the drawer is formed, as seen clearly at 3 in Figs. 1, 4t and 7. This I have found to be a very substantial construction, the edges being crimped in the various places in dies and the tubes driven on to the crimps and thus held in a Very substantial manner.

The drawer is provided with a suitable pull 4, as shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5: Mounted to slide on these tubes 2 are the carriages 5, one on either side, and each of these carriages contains a dog or catch 6 which passes through an aperture 7 in the upper wall of the carriage and its lower end working through an elongated slot 8 in the under side thereof. This dog'has an opening 9 for the reception of the tube 2, thelower end of the dog or catch being provided with a slot 12 passage of the drawer side, as seen in Fig. 4. v

11 is the follower board.

13 is a spring within the housing or car riage having one end bearing against the end 14: of such carriage or housing and its other end bearing against the lower end of the dog. The dog is attached to the transverse tube 15 preferably by means of a slit 16 in the edge of the dog at its upper end, which slit receives ,t-he end of the tube, as

will be clearly understood upon reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The carriages may be secured to the follower board in any suitable manner, as, for instance, by means of the fianges 17 and suitable securing screws, as seen in Fig. 1, or in any other convenient manner.

The upper end of the follower board 11 is bent to form a tube 18, as seen best in Fig. 3, and around this tube is clamped the actuating lever which, in this instance, is preferably formed of a suitable piece of material 19 bent in the form of a U, as shown at 20 in Fig. 3, which U is engaged around the tubular member 18 which makes the bearing or fulcrum, so that it may readily act aboutsaid tube, a small notch 21 being formed or cut out from the follower board at the center which allows the lever to be placed in position, from-which it cannot be removed without sliding the U-shaped portion off of the follower board. The lower arm 22 of this lever bears against the tube 15, as seen best in Fig. 3.

lVhen the parts are in the position in which they are seen in full lines in Fig. 3, the dog or clamp 6 firmly engages the tube 2 on the side of the drawer, the spring 13 serving to hold the dog in such locked position, it being understood that the dog has a bearing upon the .upper and lower sides of the tube 2 to form a bite at each of these points. When it is desired to release the dog, so that the follower board may be moved in either direction, pressure is applied to the upper end of the actuating lever 19 to move it in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. When this lever has been moved into the dotted line position in said figure, its lower end, acting upon the tubular member 15, has moved the same and, consequently, the dog 6 into the dotted line position, compressing the spring 13 and bringing the dog into position at right angles to the tube 2, so that the latter may slide freely through the opening 9 in the dog. Hence, there is nothing to hold the follower board against movement in either direction. It is to be understood that there are two dogs, one at each side of the drawer, both being operated, however, by means of the one lever which is substantially centrally disposed, as will be evident upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2, although this is not absolutely essential. As soon as pressure is removed ,from the lever 19, the spring 13 forces the parts back into their full line position, as seen in Fig. 3, firmly clamping the follower board against movement.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a slightly modified form in which the carriage 5, the tubes 2, and the crimped engagement between the tubes and the side of the drawer are the same, as in the construction hereinbefore described. In this form, however,

the lever 23 is pivotally mounted, as at 24:. in the walls of the carriage, its lower end being provided with a substantially semicircular notch or groove 25, as seen in Fig. 7, so as to bite upon the tube 2, its upper end being connected in any suitable manner with a transverse operating member 26. A spring 27 acting 'upon the dog below its pivot serves to normally hold the same in its locked position. Pressure on the upper end of the lever 23 to move it in the direction of the curved arrow in Fig. 6 compressesthe spring and moves the lower end of the dog out of engagement with the tube 2, so that' the follower board or compressor may be freely moved back and forth, as may be required.

By extending the follower board above the transverse bar or tube 15 and giving it a backward curve, I accomplish two desirable objects, first I bring the operating lever over such transverse tube and, second, this backward curve allows of a clearance for any of the papers or index cards, which, otherwise, might fall against the operating lever and prevent the same from being easily reached.

As the tube 15 cannot be removed after 1 the follow-er board is assembled, the dogs are provided with notches at their edges to receive the ends of this tube and at thesame time allow of a free movement of the dog in the tube which is essential at these points.

The operation is simple. The same pressure which does the releasing, pushes the follower board back, and this action is reversed on closing the follower board or moving it forward, except that the follower board can always be moved forward to compress the papers without touching any of the operating mechanism. 7

The follower board may also be moved either way by grasping the said follower board and the traverse tube at any point and not necessarily at the center or with the operating levers 19 or 23.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have devised a very simple and efiioient form of follower board and locking mechanism and, while the structural embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed is what I at the present time consider preferable, it

is evident that the same is subject to It is evident that the invention is applicable to vertical letter files, document files, card index'files and any and all other filing devices in which a follower board is re quired.

What is claimed as new is 1. In a device of the character described, a follower board, a carriage, a friction lock for the follower board movable with said carriage, and a pivoted member for actuating said lock, said member being mounted on the follower board above said lock, and a carriage guide with which said lock is engageable.

2. In a device of the character described, a follower board, a friction lock therefor, and means for actuating said lock, the movable member of said lock being bifurcated for the passage of the side of a drawer.

3. In a device of the character described, a drawer having angular means on the edge of its side, a follower board, and a guide therefor adapted to engage said angular means with spring pressure for holding said guide upon the side of the drawer.

47. In a device of the character described, a drawer having angular means on the edge of its side a follower board, a carriage movable therewith, a guide for the carriage, having a slot for receiving and frictionally engaging said angular means on the upper edge of said drawer and a dog carried by the carriage and engageable with said guide.

5. In a device of the character described,

. a drawer having angular means on the edge of its side a follower board, a carriage movable therewith, a guide for the carriage, having a slot for receiving and frietionally engaging said angular means on the upper edge of said drawer a dog carried by the carriage and engageable with said guide, and a spring acting on said dog.

6. In a device of the character described, a drawer, a follower board, a carriage movable therewith, a guide on the side of the drawer for the carriage, and a friction dog carried by the carriage and engageable with said guide, said dog being bifurcated to permit of the passage of said side of the drawer during the sliding movement of the follower board.

7. In a device of the character described, a drawer, angular means on the edge of a side thereof, a follower board, a carriage movable therewith, a guide mounted on said angular means to guide the carriage, a pivoted lock engageable with said guide and movable with the carriage, and means above the pivot of the lock for moving the same on its fulcrum.

8. In a device of the character described,

a follower board having an upward curved extension, a carriage guide, a carriage movable with the follower board, and a friction dog engageable with said guide and mov able with the carriage and disposed beneath the upper end of said curved extension.

9. In a device of the character described, a follower board having an upward curved extension, a carriage guide, a carriage movable with the follower board, a friction dog engageable with said guide and movable with the carriage and disposed beneath the upper end of said curved extension, and an actuating lever movably mounted on said extension.

10. In a device of the character described, a follower board having an upward curved extension, a carriage guide, a carriage movable with the follower board, a friction dog engageable with said guide and movable with the carriage and disposed beneath the upper end of said curved extension, an actuating lever movably mounted on said extension, and a spring acting on the lower end of the dog to normally hold the same in locked position.

11. In a device of the character described, a tubular member, a friction dog having a slot receiving-one end of said tubular member whereby the dog and member are secured together and the dog is adapted to be operated by said member, and a follower board having a carriage supporting said dog, the other end of said tubular member being supported on the follower board.

12. In a deviceof the character described, a tubular member, a friction dog having a slot receiving one end of said tubular member whereby the dog and member are secured together and the dog is adapted to be operated by said member, and a follower board having a carriage supporting said dog, said dog having an opening to receive a guiding member, and the other end of said tubular'member being supported on the follower board.

13. In a device of the character described, a tubular member and a friction dog having a slot receiving one end of said tubular member, said dog having an opening to receive a guiding member and a slot extending from said opening for the passage of the side of a drawer.

Signed by me at Topeka Kansas this 26 day of Sept. 1911.

HENRY K. BROOKS. Witnesses FRED W. GOOI-IRAN, HELEN PEARSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

